Lameness causes serious financial losses to the sheep industry and, while it may not be possible to eradicate lameness entirely, producers who understand the condition and its many causes can reduce the physical and financial impacts of having lame animals on farm, according to advice from AHDB Beef & Lamb.

With 82 per cent of sheep lameness coming from an infectious cause, good management which minimises the spread of disease is essential. Winter is a good time to check for developing foot problems as ewes do not have lambs at foot and so catching lame sheep individually is less stressful.

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Prevention

The most effective way of preventing foot problems is to quarantine sheep which are brought in to the flock for a minimum of 28 days. Examine the feet for signs of foot problems and treat accordingly. Run them twice through a footbath (good for prevention of scald) of either 10 per cent zinc sulphate or three per cent formalin (with caution), prior to introduction to the main flock.

Separation of lame sheep from the flock is difficult but is an effective way to manage the spread of infections,
particularly at housing. A study in 2015 found farmers who did not catch lame sheep had average levels of lameness three times greater (15 per cent) than farmers who caught lame sheep within three days of first seeing a problem (five per cent). If ewes are housed, use hydrated lime around the feeding and water trough area. Bedding should be refreshed so it is dry and clean.

Vaccination is an effective way of controlling footrot and should be timed to protect during high-risk periods eg before housing. Talk to your vet about implementing a vaccination programme.

Key action points in winter

• At housing, treat lame sheep and keep them isolated from the flock until they have recovered to avoid spread of disease
• Particular care should be taken if ewes are out-wintered. Mud can become lodged between the toes which may damage the skin, allowing disease-causing bacteria to penetrate through.

Treatment

Discuss the most appropriate treatment for your flock with your vet. A rapid and targeted response with antibiotics will, in most cases, resolve the issue in the affected ewe(s) and reduce the spread of disease to the rest of the flock. Treating within three days of lameness being identified should reduce the number of ewes needing treatment, so overall antibiotic use is reduced. Treating the whole flock has not been shown to be an effective use of antibiotics in most situations.

For more information, see the BRP manual Reducing lameness for Better Returns or view our sheep lameness infographic based on the five-point plan. The University of Warwick has created a free smartphone app to help you record lameness in sheep quickly and accurately. You can download it from the App store or Google Play store by searching ‘Sheep Lameness’.